Senate Republicans trying to speed up tort reform

Published: April 29, 2004 8:00 PM

Jeff OrtegaCapital BureauCOLUMBUS Republicans in the Ohio Senate are making another bid to gain passage of controversial legislation to caps jury awards and limits liability for businesses and individuals in civil lawsuits.Senate President Doug White, a Manchester Republican, said Thursday he intends to have most of the provisions of Senate-passed civil-litigation reforms added to another bill that would make it more difficult for food-processing companies to be sued for health-care costs blamed on obesity.The Senate's tort reform bill, sponsored by state Sen. Steve Stivers, a Columbus Republican, has been pending in a House committee.The so-called obesity bill, sponsored by state Rep. Bob Gibbs, a Lakeville Republican, that Senate Republicans want to insert tort-reform provisions into has passed the House and is pending in the Senate Judiciary Committee.Republican Senate leaders are to amend Gibbs' bill next week, White said. Gibbs' bill could be voted out of the judiciary committee as early as Tuesday and White said he intends to bring the amended obesity measure before the full Senate for a vote before lawmakers recess for the summer."It's a personal decision," White said in a telephone interview. "I know how important this legislation is to the small businessman and small businesswoman."Stivers' tort-reform bill, which is backed by Republican Gov. Bob Taft, would cap non-economic damages such as pain and suffering at $250,000 in most cases. It also sets a 10-year limit on manufacturers' liability for products or services they provide."We've talked to the (House) speaker," White said. "He's made no promises."House Speaker Larry Householder, a Glenford Republican, couldn't immediately be reached to comment Thursday.But the chairman of the House committee that's been hearing the Senate-passed tort-reform bill said he would be disappointed if Senate Republicans go through with their plan."In the House, we've had a very deliberative schedule to thoroughly investigate the (tort-reform) bill," said state Rep. W. Scott Oelslager, a Stark County Republican and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee that's been hearing the tort-reform bill.Lawmakers need to balance the needs of business with that of ordinary people."The court is the only place where the average person can level the playing field against the mighty," Oelslager said.Richard H. Mason, executive director of the Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers, was critical of Senate Republicans' proposal."It looks to us like the Senate is trying to rush passage of (the tort-reform bill) by adding it to another bill," Mason said.-30-